Adventures in Living

This past December, my husband, myself, and my youngest son traveled to St. Augustine, Florida, for a wedding; the wedding was lovely; however, beyond the wedding, there were lessons to be learned. Isn’t it strange, the surprise encounters we find on our life journey? Sometimes, just an ordinary experience opens our eyes, and we see things in a new way.

We wanted to experience historic downtown St. Augustine on foot, and see as much as possible in a weekend. As luck would have it, it rained on the day of our outing…not just a drizzle, but an out and out downpour!

We strolled along St. George street, dodging the raindrops, and then eventually, we were totally soaked. Regardless, we navigated the side streets, and had an incredibly good time. We found this old city enchanting, and we ducked into one shop after another, sipping on hot coffee and enjoying some snacks.

,After several hours, we began to make our way back to the car. Our last stop was an art gallery, and I hated leaving. I realized there was so much to see and do, that it would take several weekends to take it all in. All the same, it was one of those ‘walks’ that you always remember. Years later, you close your eyes, and you are there again. Time does not erase the moments when we are truly immersed in our surroundings; it does not erase the moments we spend with the people we care about. In our memories, time does, ‘stand still’.

Since our youngest son is eighteen years old, a little rain is not much of a deterrent for him in terms of having a good time. I found myself laughing at his jokes. His youthful enthusiasm was, as usual, contagious. He kept saying, “Let’s check this place out”, and repeatedly, “We can’t go home, yet!”. Consequently, our walk back to the car was slow; we continued to stop along the way, taking a photo here and there, even amidst the incessant rain.

“Just minutes before we arrived back to our car, a gentleman stepped out of his house onto the porch. He called out to us with a bright smile. His words still linger in my mind; “I trust you are making great memories here today on your stay in St. Augustine!” Obviously, we looked like tourists with our maps and shopping bags. I waved back at him and answered that, “Yes, we were having great fun.”

It hit me all at once that this was a day for making memories. Earlier in the morning, we had walked on the beach before it started to rain. We had watched the seagulls parading about, and we each had stuffed our pockets with shells. The ocean, as always, was mesmerizing.

The truth of course, is that we make memories every day, and we only get but so many days in a lifetime. All of them matter. There are good times, and there are what we call, ‘bad times’. There are times when we pray just to make it through, and times when we are elated beyond measure and cannot believe our good fortune.

Every day we live is a gift from God no matter what challenges we face on any given day. Every season of our life offers us gifts, even in the trying times, the hard passages we would rather avoid.

Through it all, we put our trust in God, our heavenly Father, knowing that although we do not understand all things, we know there is one who can handle all things.

Sometimes, it is hard to ‘let go and let God’. And yet, when we do, we find incredible peace. We find that not every storm cloud can rob us of joy, and that even in the midst of a storm, we are not left stranded on our own.

Yes, our lives are an adventure. Whatever our circumstances, there are blessings to be found, new things to learn, and beautiful encounters. Sometimes, it is the stranger in our midst, like the man in St. Augustine, who called out to us, that reminds us to appreciate the journey. It was as if he were saying, “Hey, do you feel the magic of this old city on a soft, rain-blurred day? Do you feel the magic even though the weather is less than perfect, and for some, it might have ruined their plans? Things are often less than perfect, and yet, magic awaits if we open our eyes to the beauty and wonder all around us.

The man did not ask all these questions, but his message was implied. Honor your life. Honor the passage of days, and the people who walk beside you, and the people who have walked beside you in the past. Honor the life God has given you, taking the good with the bad, the happy with the sad, the more with the less.

We are so blessed! Our adventures in life are nothing short of miraculous feats from the moment we open our eyes. We are born to live the adventure God has prepared for each and every one of us. Never, ever, are we asked to step out on foot alone. Instead, we have a guide who is with us at every turn, deep in the valley, and high on a mountaintop. And so, it is most certainly true, “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24